12 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

The character write-up on Grayson did hint that he was raised by a single parent so perhaps in order to support the parent (possibly medical related), he has to work for the Impaler. I also wonder if Kial is also involved in the ring since I believe it was mentioned he was a widow and perhaps he lost his spouse due to something that could have been prevented.

Had a female expressed the same concerns about Grayson due to her instincts, she'd most likely be listened to and believe.. but because it's Derek (a man).. he won't be listened to. Although I think his instincts about Grayson are right, I think the true backstory for Grayson isn't sinister and probably is something to do with his single mother that raised him.

That is where I am leaning as well. As has been mentioned, Jordi has good chemistry with Mrs. Jacobs. And I actually like Grayson with Ashley. Granted I think Ashley works bests in supporting, it is nice to see improvement in her love life since the writers want to make fetch happen. And...now there's a possibility of that. Heck, it has even lit Derek up some...who I also STILL think will go psycho. Honestly, part of me thinks he's lying about the committee tbh. And it's an easy thing for anyone to follow up on.

Derek saying that about Grayson just make me think red herring. At least for now.

12 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I wish the show would Dani like this all the time instead of on occasion. She wasn't too over the top, she acted like a rational individual and was even respectful about Eva when talking to Izaiah. Perhaps if she detoxed from Bill completely, she'd become a decent human being (although she has an addictive personality so she'll switch to a new addiction like alcohol, sex, etc)

Now you know you just don't love Dani. ;P She has mellowed considerably over the last 8 months from her days of Annie Get Your Gun. And while she still irks me with her need to run to Bill these days, she really does come across normal. The writers and Karla found a balance for Dani at last. Still love your opinions as always. :)

12 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Lastly, I don't get the Chelsea/Madison relationship... it reads like a bad YA novel. MVJ and co... please read Emily Henry so you can actually craft a solid 20 something relationship between two individuals.

hehe. Definitely better written than Mariah and Tessa on Y&R, but I think I'm coming around to what everyone else says about them. It's not that I don't like them. I especially love those brief moments when Madison's goofy flag flies because it's very Gemini-coded. But it could be written so much better and given how much I like the writing on this show...how do they keep missing the mark with them? We should have seen Madison's mother (played by a soap legend). I liked we got to see Madison dealing with Chelesa's other side...but jumping to marriage? And of course...the staple of teen shows...the long-distance relationship dilemma? I mean...it's too disjointed. Especially looking at the other couple stories going on in that age range.

12 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I don't get the Chelsea/Madison relationship

4 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

hehe. Definitely better written than Mariah and Tessa on Y&R

Omg well anything is better than how Josh Griffith has unforgivably badly written/ignored Teriah in the past year or two.

2 minutes ago, janea4old said:

Omg well anything is better than how Josh Griffith has unforgivably badly written/ignored Teriah in the past year or two.

So I hear. I can't believe that Mariah's story is STILL going on for two years, no resolution, and no one even knows what happen...?

59 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

While I agree, it doesn't help that Frank Valentini makes creating all kinds of sets that don't feel stagnant look effortless over on GH. As the other debatably good show airing right now, it makes the set issues on BTG even more noticeable.

That's the one soap on the air that I have never viewed so I've never seen the sets, but one soap having a variety of sets is good to hear. The structure of the writing shifted in season two so maybe BTG will make some changes with sets to go along with the more laser focused writing.

10 minutes ago, ReddFoxx said:

That's the one soap on the air that I have never viewed so I've never seen the sets, but one soap having a variety of sets is good to hear. The structure of the writing shifted in season two so maybe BTG will make some changes with sets to go along with the more laser focused writing.

Ah! For all of Frank's flaws and faults...and he has several with his petty self...one thing that I don't take away from him is his ability to have a rotating amount of sets at all times. Even if some are better than others, you do get a feel that Port Charles is a city. And he still can manage to have characters go to another part of the world and it feels like another part of the world, too. And every summer, the viewers do get a pool set and we get to drool over the hotties cuz just like his former writer partner Ron Carlivati, Frank does find ways to get his male cast shirtless.

I really love that after our discussion last year about redressing sets in order to cover the set issues that they have started to do just that. That said...I'm long past ready to see the university set. Hopefully with the writing shift, we get just that.

The Impaler storyline needs it's own opening reminiscent of this, but better.

1 hour ago, Taoboi said:

It doesn't help that Frank Valentini makes creating all kinds of sets that don't feel stagnant look effortless over on GH. As the other debatably good show airing right now, it makes the set issues on BTG even more noticeable.

-- GH definitely is the standard when it comes to sets. No one else comes close. I'm amazed at what FV does with his budget -- and yes, it makes the other soaps look even worse by comparison.

-- DAYS is clearly broke, and any set that isn't established and bigger in size is so cheap it's laughable. Stephanie has a dangerous stalker, but have you ever looked at the door to her apartment? It looks like it's made of balsa wood that's an inch think. She has 3 locks on that door when a 10-year old could punch his fist through it.

-- B&B sets are bigger and more expansive since their move, but now it feels like we have to be satisfied for a long time since they spent some money. They've been using the same few sets over and over and over.

-- Y&R has some very nice sets, but it's frustrating that budgeting hurts set turnover, which means we get the same sets for days and weeks at a time before they're taken down and other sets are cycled in.

-- I also think Y&R wastes money. The L.A. bar set was costly. For what? Cane's train -- another big expense -- seems to have disappeared and we now have a much smaller office. And while that outdoor Chancellor Park set looks very good, the whole thing is ludicrous in the winter.

-- BTG needs a lot of work when it comes to sets. It has as many problems in that area as these other soaps do, and is not in GH's league.

10 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

-- GH definitely is the standard when it comes to sets. No one else comes close. I'm amazed at what FV does with his budget -- and yes, it makes the other soaps look even worse by comparison.

-- DAYS is clearly broke, and any set that isn't established and bigger in size is so cheap it's laughable. Stephanie has a dangerous stalker, but have you ever looked at the door to her apartment? It looks like it's made of balsa wood that's an inch think. She has 3 locks on that door when a 10-year old could punch his fist through it.

-- B&B sets are bigger and more expansive since their move, but now it feels like we have to be satisfied for a long time since they spent some money. They've been using the same few sets over and over and over.

-- Y&R has some very nice sets, but it's frustrating that budgeting hurts set turnover, which means we get the same sets for days and weeks at a time before they're taken down and other sets are cycled in.

-- I also think Y&R wastes money. The L.A. bar set was costly. For what? Cane's train -- another big expense -- seems to have disappeared and we now have a much smaller office. And while that outdoor Chancellor Park set looks very good, the whole thing is ludicrous in the winter.

-- BTG needs a lot of work when it comes to sets. It has as many problems in that area as these other soaps do, and is not in GH's league.

Ooooo don't tell me that! re: DAYS. I think I'm caught up enough on shows (and have long since dropped Y&R enough) that I can finally add DAYS to my viewing list. I figured with the casting news over the last year that it was bad, but wooooowww. That is very sad to hear.

You have been in the GH Thread enough to know that I have no problem reading Petty Frank down, but one thing I can never take away from him is his ability to have so many different sets in good rotation. And smart cameramen during the summer. ;)

None of the soaps have the same budget as they used to so it's amazing what he can do with GH on so little. And we STILL get to see well-known sets that show very little signs of wear like the nurse hub, Bobbie's (Kelly's)...sidenote...good to see they remembered there are guest rooms above for story purposes, the Q mansion which looks and feels it, etc. No one is touching Frank Valentini when it comes to sets. At all.

I just started my binge of this week's B&B so sets have been on my mind a lot today. I was worried about the studio move and I've liked it overall. I agree. It's been more spacious which I love. And I'm not bored with it as of yet. I was worried about the model room for example which was flashy short-term, but I couldn't help thinking about long-term what they would do with it. So I like they are finding ways to factor that room in...Carter and Daphne's dinner, finding ways to have work going on in that room, etc. Otherwise it is a waste of space. And while it's the same sets I am used to before the move, it does feel like they are rotated enough for me that it does not bother me if that makes sense.

I'm sad to say this, but I couldn't care less about Y&R. I am grateful in the Y&R Thread someone mentioned the Chancellor Mansion made an appearance (finally) last Friday so I peeked in for a few minutes last weekend to see it. It just saddened me how very small and stage play-ish it looked now. Moreso thinking about the remodel that the Newman Ranch got before Ed Scott retired. They been wasting money ever since.

ETA: Yeah now that we are approaching a year, yeah, I might be starting to get a bit picky about sets on BTG. But with it doing good in other areas, even competing with GH for my attention, it would nice to see it compete (friendly competition) with GH a little bit in terms of sets, but it really has a looooooong way to go to get there. GH truly is the standard for that now.

And again...I'm so ready for that university set.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Taoboi
Oops moment.

11 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

You have been in the GH Thread enough to know that I have no problem reading Petty Frank down, but one thing I can never take away from him is his ability to have so many different sets in good rotation. And smart cameramen during the summer. ;)

None of the soaps have the same budget as they used to so it's amazing what he can do with GH on so little. And we STILL get to see well-known sets that show very little signs of wear like the nurse hub, Bobbie's (Kelly's)...sidenote...good to see they remembered there are guest rooms above for story purposes, the Q mansion which looks and feels it, etc. No one is touching Frank Valentini when it comes to sets. At all.

Agree completely. Frank V has faults and flaws, but credit where credit is due: no one comes close to what he does on GH. I'm consistently amazed at what we see and the Port Charles an beyond world he creates. I hate to be negative, but he really does make the other soaps look even worse by comparison.

17 minutes ago, Taoboi said:

I am grateful in the Y&R Thread someone mentioned the Chancellor Mansion made an appearance (finally) last Friday so I peeked in for a few minutes last weekend to see it. It just saddened me how very small and stage play-ish it looked now.

"Stage play-ish" is a great way to put it. It's embarrassing, and not just to those of us who remember what it looked like years ago. It's just so cramped and flat, and adding an apparent hallway doesn't open it up at all.

2 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

Agree completely. Frank V has faults and flaws, but credit where credit is due: no one comes close to what he does on GH. I'm consistently amazed at what we see and the Port Charles an beyond world he creates. I hate to be negative, but he really does make the other soaps look even worse by comparison.

"Stage play-ish" is a great way to put it. It's embarrassing, and not just to those of us who remember what it looked like years ago. It's just so cramped and flat, and adding an apparent hallway doesn't open it up at all.

That's not negative. Like you said...credit where it's due. And trust that I don't even want to give him that, but that's a fact.

I don't even want to say it that way. But when we got that lovely classic episode at the beginning of the year where you got to see the mansion at its best with all that space AND during a party with everyone mixing it up...it's very sad to see what it is now. And it also says a lot that they have that long hallway and no one really using it. The Newman ranch now has a hallway and they were using it right, left, and everywhere in-between when it was unveiled. And before I stopped watching, they still found ways to use all of that space. But I guess it's all about Cane and his train...which also has a hallway now I see.